Poking fun at celebrity-obsessed culture, Old Navy has introduced a cast of “SuperModelquins” in a campaign promoting the retailer as a destination for stylish yet affordable clothing and accessories.
The diverse family of 12 fashion-conscious mannequins helps deliver on Old Navy’s strategy of interacting in a fun and entertaining way with its target customer—young moms on a budget shopping for themselves and their families, said Victoria Kirk, PR manager for Old Navy parent company Gap Inc.
“We aim to capture the consumer’s attention in a way that fits with the fun personality of the brand,” said Kirk. “We thought it was a great way to grab their attention while letting them know we’re serious about offering phenomenal product at great prices.”
The campaign, developed in partnership with Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s Colorado office, includes TV, online, in-store promotions and direct mail. The TV creative features the mannequins vamping and chatting about their fashionable clothing.
The agency also handled the Canadian adaptation, which includes product changes and pricing. The TV commercial is running nationally, except for Quebec. Starcom in Toronto handled the Canadian media buy.
The campaign is being supported with a media relations push that includes a survey of Canadian attitudes toward celebrities.
According to the “SuperModelquin Survey,” one in five (22%) admit to buying something because a celebrity has worn it, and 57% said celebrities who complain too much about media attention are whiny.
The survey shows Canadians love to mimic celebrity style, but also think celebrities can take themselves a little too seriously, explained Kirk.
“Our new Old Navy campaign pokes fun at our celebrity-obsessed culture while showing Canadians they can still look like stars in their own right each and every day without paying designer prices.”
A newly designed in-store flyer spoofs celebrity fashion magazines, while vignettes starring the SuperModelquins will also be posted online at OldNavy.ca.
Old Navy hosted an in-store event at the Toronto Eaton Centre on Tuesday to introduce the SuperModelquins family, the new summer collection, as well as the new ad campaign to members of the media.
“We know our customers are looking for unbeatable value, particularly in today’s economic environment,” said Old Navy’s president, Tom Wyatt, in a release. “We want to grab our customers’ attention in exciting ways while sending a strong message that Old Navy is serious about offering phenomenal products at great prices.”
The SuperModelquins will be in all Old Navy stores across the country by April.
